For those unfamiliar with "The Sidestep" please enjoy this YouTube clip from a scene out of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.
On Thursday, November 3rd Kansas' junior United States Senator, Jerry Moran, voted against the infrastructure package of President Obama's American Jobs Act. That was S. 1769, the Rebuild America Jobs Act. That bill was introduced by Minnesota's senior Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar together with 23 cosponsors. It was defeated on party line votes with Nebraska's Democratic-in-name-only Ben Nelson and Connecticut's turn coat so-called Democratic Joe Liebermann voting to keep the economy stalled. No Republican voted for this bill.
The Republicans, courtesy of Utah's Orrin Hatch, put up a bill, sort of, which alluded to infrastructure. Their bill was S. 1786, the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011. I say sort of because there is no summary of the bill on Thomas, the web portal for the Library Congress. Also, it is sort of not an infrastructure bill when you consider it is jam packed with the Republican lunacy of gutting every conceivable regulation possible. Jerry Moran voted for this piece of art.
On Friday I went to Senator Moran's website and wrote that I thought his rejection of the infrastructure bill the day before was shameful. Jerry wrote back, by e-mail, and does "The Sidestep" claiming that he supports the infrastructure bill he just voted against.
Here is the letter:
Dear Michael:
There is no more important issue for Congress to immediately address than job creation. It is unacceptable that unemployment in the United States has been at eight percent or higher for 32 consecutive months. I share your frustration at the lack of job growth and I'm open to ideas from Republican and Democratic Senators to create an environment in which the private sector can create jobs.
Although I voted against the full bill, it is important to note that Congress will continue to consider aspects of the President's plan independently including revenue enhancements that are used to pay down our national debt. Two programs of his plan that I support are the infrastructure investments and the Returning Heroes Hiring Tax Credit. These two proposals will help put Americans back to work and should be passed as standalone provisions. In addition to those proposals, it is my belief that the key to job growth is unleashing American innovation. Between 1980 and 2005, companies less than five years old accounted for nearly all new job growth in the United States. Over the last three decades, these new companies have created 40 million new jobs.
To get America's economic engine roaring once again, entrepreneurs must be free to pursue their ideas, form companies, and hire employees. To that end, I plan to introduce legislation with Senator Mark Warner of Virginia to jump-start the economy through the creation and growth of new companies. Our legislation will remove barriers to the formation and growth of businesses, make it easier for new companies to attract investment so they can grow, and unleash the creative talent of Americans by facilitating the commercialization of federally-funded research. Many of these ideas are supported by the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. I plan on working hard with Senators on both sides of the aisle to ensure passage of commonsense legislation that will lead to job creation.
I am grateful for the opportunity Kansans have given me to serve them in the United States Senate. If you are interested in learning more about my efforts on your behalf, I encourage you to visit moran.senate.gov. Please let me know if I can be of service to you or your family in the future.
Very truly yours, Jerry Moran |
My e-mail address is only equipped to send messages. I encourage you to send me a message through my web site: http://moran.senate.gov/ |
When Jerry says "Although I voted against the full bill, it is important to note that Congress will continue to consider aspects of the President's plan independently including revenue enhancements that are used to pay down our national debt. Two programs of his plan that I support are the infrastructure investments and the Returning Heroes Hiring Tax Credit." he is doing The Sidestep shuffle. He votes against the infrastructure bill and writes that he supports it.
Watch that video again!
Here is the White House view of S. 1769.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
November 3, 2011
(Senate)
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
S. 1769 – Rebuild America Jobs Act
(Sen. Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and 20 cosponsors)
The Administration strongly supports passage of the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which will put hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job and modernize America's crumbling infrastructure. The President proposed this measure to Congress as part of the American Jobs Act as a way to create jobs and improve the Nation’s long term economic competitiveness by allowing goods and services to more efficiently reach domestic and global markets.
S. 1769 immediately invests $50 billion in the Nation's highways, transit, rail and aviation. This includes investments to improve the Nation's airports, support NextGen Air Traffic Modernization efforts, and provide resources for the TIGER and TIFIA programs, which target competitive dollars to innovative multi-modal infrastructure programs. S. 1769 will also take special steps to enhance infrastructure-related job training opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups and ensure that small businesses can compete for infrastructure contracts. Together, these investments will rebuild America – upgrading 150,000 miles of roads, constructing and maintaining 4,000 miles of rail, and rehabilitating or reconstructing 150 miles of runway.
S. 1769 also includes an innovative American Infrastructure Financing Authority capitalized with $10 billion, in order to leverage private and public capital and to invest in a broad range of infrastructure projects of national and regional significance, without earmarks or political influence.
S. 1769 is fully paid for through a surtax on those Americans making over $1 million per year. What is most important is putting Americans back to work right now and making sure the debt is not increased over time – and doing so in a way that is fair. S. 1769 meets that test.
By enacting S. 1769, the Congress and the President can work together to put America back to work and lay a foundation for future prosperity, and the Administration urges prompt and favorable action.
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